Welcome to the world of COVID-19! With the spread of the novel virus, companies actively supervise the transportation of dangerous goods in the world. Hazardous items include flammable gases, fireworks, explosives, infectious biological substances, etc. Additionally, the governing bodies of various countries have strictly made changes in transporting these goods.
Coronavirus has majorly impacted the logistics industry. Due to this, many businesses have changed their way of transporting hazardous goods. Do you want to know what it is? If yes, then read on the blog. We’ll be discussing how this pandemic has brought changes for the transportation of hazardous goods.
- More freight of coronavirus samples:Nowadays, countries are making frequent shipments of COVID-19 specimens for research and testing purposes. They ship viral cultures as Category A UN 2814 or “infectious substance that may affect people” with utmost care. For air transports, they pack samples in a triple layer that can withstand 1.2 meters of an accidental drop. As specimens require faster passage, you (manufacturers of other dangerous goods) need to plan everything well in advance.Transportation companies need to keep the transportation of COVID-19 specimens as a priority. So, if you want to hire any transportation company, you will require prior planning as well as booking. And that’s the second impact (or change) of this novel virus which we’ll discuss in the next point.
- Planning of dangerous goods shipment:As a lot of work is involved in the transportation process, it is time-consuming. And due to coronavirus, checking at every step is being done, which consumes time. Therefore, the planning of dangerous goods’ consignments is vital. You can begin planning 5-6 months’ prior shipment as just receiving necessary permits can take more than 100 days.Plus, transportation companies are giving priority to coronavirus specimen shipment. Also, they are going digital nowadays, which might turn as a piece of good news for you (we’ll talk about it in our third point). However, booking the shipment of hazardous goods beforehand will be a smart idea.
- Digitization is the solution:It has become an underlying resolution to the successful transportation of hazardous goods in this pandemic. It acts as a technology platform to connect suppliers, buyers, shippers, and third-party logistics providers. With the help of this platform, you can communicate, collaborate, and do business with each other. You’ll also get rid of manual paperwork like purchase order, acknowledging order acceptance, etc.You’ll be able to track your goods from entry to the delivery, giving full assurance of its safety. In case of any issue in the shipment, you’ll get alerts at the same time.
- Precautionary packaging:During this crucial time, you need to ship hazardous goods in safe and correct packaging. Also, your workers should wear protective gear, which includes safety glasses and impermeable gloves for handling the package. You should package your dangerous materials in multi-layer packaging. It should consist of inner receptacles, cushioning, and absorbent materials.Furthermore, you should design, manufacture, test, and certify the containment of specific hazardous material classes for outer packaging.
- Affairs related to infection:In today’s circumstances, handling COVID-19 test samples for shipping is one of the major concerns. Because they are known as dangerous goods, you need to follow rigorous packaging and shipping regulations. According to medical research, the novel virus lives for a day on cardboard boxes and three days on plastic. Hence, you need to train your workers for safely handling these materials and also provide protective gear.Additionally, you should instruct the transportation company to froze the samples during shipping. While transporting flammable chemicals, you’ll need to input special care from its manufacturing to transportation. As processes are getting automated through the digital network, you can have a vigilant eye until the materials reach their destination safely and securely.
- More stringent measures:All over the globe, governments have started taking stringent measures that are interrupting the transportation of hazardous goods. In various ports, transportation companies have restricted the traffic of shipment to limit the outbreak of the virus. Strict quarantine rules are causing hindrances in various trade activities. Crew members have received orders to remain in the ship for 14 days before going ashore.Also, logistics companiesare prioritising the shipment of biological specimens to avoid expiration. Therefore, there’s been a lot of backlog of specific dangerous goods, which may be a concerning issue for you.
- Make a risk management plan:You cannot stop uncertainties from happening. No matter how many precautions you take, you’ll need to make a risk management plan. Hence, you can prepare yourself in case of an accident.Our advice will be to know all the potential harms of dangerous goods if something goes wrong. This information would help you to make strategies and action plans to deal with the situation so that you will face minimal damage.
- Long-term changes paving its way:You cannot predict the future and hence cannot make any long-term forecasts for the transportation sectors. The changes caused by the trending virus are not short-term. You are likely to receive boxes of surprises in the coming years. It could become a catalyst for technological advancement, including the logistics sector.You can handle the transportation of hazardous goods in a safer, reliable, and the quickest way through robotic equipment, and artificial intelligence software. Like this, the transportation industry would pave its way towards autonomous transport that’s more effective and economical.
Final salvation:
The COVID-19 virus has come as a challenge for the whole world. And the solution (we mean vaccine) has not yet arrived. However, the rules created by the WHO can help you to deal with this situation safely. It is the applying of sanitisers, maintaining social distancing, and wearing masks. Also, the above information can turn out to be handy for transporting your dangerous goods.
Additionally, some training organisations have become very quick to transfer their training courses to webinars. It will provide delegates with knowledge they need to ensure safely moving of your dangerous goods around the world, even in this crucial time.
